A
bomb blast used during an escape attempt from a prison van in South Africa's
main city, Johannesburg, has killed three people, police say. The explosion hit a police van returning 36
prisoners to Johannesburg Central prison from court, a police spokesman said. Two
prisoners escaped but were recaptured, the spokesman said. The police were at the scene of the blast, and
the wounded have been rushed to hospital under heavy guard.
Police
are investigating a case of murder and illegal possession of weapons,
confirming dangerous criminals were part of the escape plot, says the BBC's
Nomsa Maseko in Johannesburg. The
explosion took place just metres from the prison, as the bus carrying the
prisoners returned from court in Randburg, about 40km (25 miles) away, adds our
reporter. The driver heard a loud bang just outside the prison; South Africa's
Eyewitness News quoted a police spokesman as saying. "There was an explosion in the vehicle.
Two of the prisoners managed to escape, but they were rearrested," said
the spokesman, Neville Malila.
Early
reports suggest that plans to detonate an explosive device at the back of the
van to facilitate an escape went badly wrong. South Africa's National
Commissioner of Correctional Services Tom Moyane described the incident as
South Africa's most "daring escape attempt".
BBC News
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